4 Bewildering #Thailand concepts and a thank-you to the Thais.

The smiling faces of the Thais can be misleading. Although noted for their friendliness and caring nature, the people of the Land of Smiles are quite shy and unassuming (greng jai). Together with the language barrier – the Thai language is notoriously difficult to learn – this makes it challenging for any writer of Thai lifestyle and culture to obtain accurate anthropological data on this amazing country’s people.

I am therefore extremely appreciative of the opportunity that a number of Thais have given me to discuss with them, so freely and frankly, countless aspects of Thainess and Thai culture.

I thank all those who have consented to be interviewed and assisted with my research. I owe them all a tremendous debt of gratitude. I acknowledge particularly: